Sunday, March 23, 2008

So I was told last night that I was going a little crazy with my Facebook. I've added friends. I've poked. I've become a Vampire and bitten people. I've begun to Attack countries. I've thrown pillows (BeBee Gallini and The Jeffersons are favorites), I've sent Snowglobes and played Scrabble. Hey, I was given a task and I jumped right in.

Monday, March 17, 2008

So on Friday night, I was having a lovely dinner with my friends Dan, Luis, Tina and Polo. Luis cooked lamb (he made chicken for me because until Friday I did not like lamb) and roasted potatoes and a lovely tapenade appetizer. It was nice to just relax and enjoy the company of a group of people who I care so much about. Then the F-word was spoken. They mentioned "Facebook."

I've had a MySpace account for a couple years and I've mentioned it a couple times but nobody joined. All of a sudden I'm hearing all these great things about Facebook.

Friday night was not just a dinner, it was an initiation ceremony. And I fell for it. :)

I started off simple. I joined, found Dan, added him and Luis and Tina and Polo as Friends. Then I found my friends Mike and Rick and added them too. Then I let Facebook have a look at my email address book and it found more friends. Then I got Vahona to Join. Next thing I know, I'm a vampire and I've bitten people. I've been hugged, thrown pillows (check out my BeBee Gallini pillow...it's PINK!) and placed armies in Iceland. It's fun! It's like crack.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

I found out that the B-52's will be playing a show in Chicago on Thursday May 1. It's the day before my birthday. I think that's a grand way to start a weekend so I'm going to buy myself a ticket for the show, and schedule the next day off from work and kick off a long weekend while enjoying one of my favorite bands.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

The actress Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island," in an undated photo supplied by the Teton County Sheriff's Department. She was sentenced on Feb. 29, 2008, to five days in jail, fined $410.50 and placed on probation in Idaho after pleading guilty to one count of reckless driving.

Gilligan's' Mary Ann caught with dopeDawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island," is serving six months' unsupervised probation after allegedly being caught with marijuana in her car.She was sentenced Feb. 29 to five days in jail, fined $410.50 and placed on probation after pleading guilty to one count of reckless driving.Under a plea agreement, three misdemeanor counts -- driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance -- were dropped.On Oct. 18, Teton County sheriff's Deputy Joseph Gutierrez arrested Wells as she was driving home from a surprise birthday party that was held for her. According to the sheriff's office report, Gutierrez pulled Wells over after noticing her swerve and repeatedly speed up and slow down. When Gutierrez asked about a marijuana smell, Wells said she'd just given a ride to three hitchhikers and had dropped them off when they began smoking something. Gutierrez found half-smoked joints and two small cases used to store marijuana.The 69-year-old Wells, founder of the Idaho Film and Television Institute and organizer of the region's annual family movie festival called the Spud Fest, then failed a sobriety test.Wells' lawyer, Ron Swafford, said that a friend of Wells' testified that he'd left a small amount of marijuana in the vehicle after using it that day, and that Wells was unaware of it. Swafford also said several witnesses were prepared to testify that Wells had very little to drink at the party and was not intoxicated when she left. He said she was swerving on the road because she was trying to find the heater controls in her new car.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Millie came into my home in August 2002. She was a shelter rescue and is small and loveable and entertaining. She has also become a bit of a problem.

Call it boredom, call it bottled up energy, call it play...she has developed a bit of an agressive streak. Twice she has launched into attach mode and focused her assault on the back of my leg. Through thick denim, I have a gouge and two long scratches on the back of my leg and a gouge and some smaller scratches on the front of my leg. Being the drama queen that I am, I was convinced that she had a brain tumor and it was causing this agression. She hasn't been acting herself in the evenings though at night she's just as sweet and loving as can be, she curls up and falls asleep on my legs through the night. Okay, not the most comfortable place for a cat but she weighs all of 8 pounds so it's not so bad.

I decided today to take her to the vet. At the very least they would trim her nails and tell me she's okay. She was very good at the vet. Since she's small, she is pretty powerful but she didn't try to bolt, instead she looked around a lot but stayed on the exam table. The doctor listened to me describe her symptoms and behavior. She examimed Millie and suggested bloodwork, jut to rule things out. She thinks that Millie is fine, which is a relief and I brought her home with trimmed nails. Tomorrow I will learn the results of the blood tests. I also came home with some brochures on dealing with agressive cats.

I'll deal with it alright...Xanax. If this keeps up, kitty's going to be on pills.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Enough ranting and whining, this post is about things that make me happy.

The B-52's. I've always loved them, their music is always fun and it makes you want to move. Finally after 16 years, they're releasing a CD of all new music. Funplex is due out at the end of March. The title track, Funplex, is already available on iTunes. I love it. A second single, Hot Corner, is available on Rhapsody (free, for a limited time). YAY!

Pasticceria Natalina. This is a bakery that opened in my neighborhood about a year ago. It's run by an adorable young couple, Natalie and Nicolas and they make the most exquisite bakery treats that are anything but your typical bakery goods. Delicious cookies, tasty tarts, gorgeous little cakes, savory breads and in the summer they also make homemade gelato in assorted flavors. My favorite item from their shop are the lemon cookies.

Saturday, my dear friends Dan (http://www.41north87west.blogspot.com/) and Luis hosted a small dinner party and I brought dessert from Pasticceria Natalina. It was a chocolate cake with raspberry filling, draped in tinted white chocolate. Here's a picture of it!

Pretty, huh?

Next time you're in the Andersonville neighborhood in Chicago, check out Pasticceria Natalina at 5406 N. Clark Street. But not on Monday or Tuesday, they're closed. :)

Feast of Fools podcast. I could try to describe it myself but I'll let the guys do it in their words, swiped directly from their website.

"The Feast of Fools podcast features cocktails, gossip, news and interviews with some of the worlds most eclectic celebrities, newsmakers, and musicians. Hosted by the flaming blue Fausto Fernós with his boyfriend Marc Felion, the Feast of Fools has been in the top 50 downloaded comedy podcasts in the world and currently ranks as iTunes’ #1 gay podcast."

A couple years ago, I subscribed and would occasionally listen. I was always entertained but hadn't made it a habit to download the podcasts. My friend Dave from Tampa discusses them often so I made a point to listen regularly and now I don't miss a show. What's kind of cool is that they guys live in my neighborhood and we all belong to the same gym so I've had the chance to chat with them both and they're two of the sweetest guys you could know. Here's a picture of me with them taken in the summer of 2006. I was working a booth at our neighborhood street fair and they came by.

Sheryl Crow - "Detours." This is her latest CD. It's a return to her roots. After an eventful couple of years (a breakup, a bout with cancer, adoption, a move and a reunion with the man who produced her first album), she's back with a CD that is truly a labor of love. It's not an album you'll play and immediately start dancing to. Instead, you'll listen to the lyrics and thing about what she went though without feeling as though she's been a victim. I've always admired her as a musician and and artist. I'm not the least bit disappointed with this CD.

March. Yes, I like the month of March, because it's not February. It's kind of like the light at the end of the cold winter tunnel. Spring begins in less than 3 weeks and while that's no guarantee that we've seen the last of cold weather and snow, it means that whatever we get is short-lived. I'm ready for spring.